Now to be called Drake House?

From Berkeleyside: The president of the University of California once again has an architecturally significant place in which to live and entertain. Fourteen years after the University of California abandoned the Blake House in Kensington as the official home of the president, and after years of rentals for its top leaders, the system has purchased a historic home in Berkeley designed by the architect Julia Morgan.

Using private funds, the UC system bought 2821 Claremont Blvd. in December for $6.5 million. Some artwork and furnishings original to the 1928 house were included in the sale. UC had owned the house for decades, but sold it in 1991.

“The long-term investment returns the Berkeley landmark to the University, providing multiple uses that benefit the school and will serve as the official residence for University presidents,” Stett Holbrook, a senior communications strategist at the UC Office of the President, wrote in an email.

Michael Drake is the current president of the UC system, which includes 10 campuses, five medical centers, three nationally affiliated labs, more than 280,000 students, and 230,000 faculty and staff. When he was hired in 2020, his salary was $890,000.

Morgan, one of the first women to graduate from UC Berkeley’s College of Civil Engineering, is best known for designing San Simeon Hearst Castle for the publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She also designed the Berkeley City Club on Durant Avenue, the Greek Theater, and the Hearst Gymnasium, along with about 700 other buildings...

Full story at https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/04/12/uc-buys-6-5-million-berkeley-mansion-president.